WASHINGTON – What’s the first wine region you think of when you think of chardonnay? How about pinot noir? Riesling? Were any of your first thoughts Australia or South Australia? How about Strathbogie Ranges? I didn’t think so.
The Strathbogie Ranges is a set of low mountain ranges within the Great Dividing Range, located approximately 110 miles north east of Melbourne in Victoria. The range is the remains of a granite uplifted plateau and a volcanic eruption which formed a 20-mile-wide cauldron.
Its topography is a series of ridges, dissected by streams and massive granite outcroppings. The region shares latitudinal position with notable wine regions, such as Sonoma and Napa Valley in the U.S.; Mendoza in Argentina; Sicily in Italy; and Jerez in Spain. Victoria is the southern-most State of mainland Australia, famed for its diverse wine regions and cool climate.
The area went relatively unnoticed in the wine world until the mid-1970s, when Dr. Peter Tisdall planted a new vineyard at Mount Helen. Today, there are over 25 vineyards located in the region, at altitudes ranging from 490 to 2,130 feet, with plantings on acidic sandy loams formed from decomposed granite.
One of those vineyards is making its way on to store shelves in our area, and winning quite a few awards in the process. Fowles Wine – whose motto is “real wines for real foods” — is one of the larger wineries in the Strathbogie Ranges. Its main wine varieties include chardonnay, sauvignon blanc, riesling, pinot noir, cabernet sauvignon and shiraz.
Matt Fowles, a former lawyer who traded in his corporate life for the vineyard, is an avid food and wine man. He spends much of his time overseeing the wine operations as well as hunting game for his table. In fact, his love of hunting led him to create two wine series, including Are You Game and Ladies Who Shoot Their Lunch. The latter is the world’s first wine to be blended specifically to complement wild game meat.
If you like a fruit-centric sauvignon blanc-style wines, then you’ll love the 2013 Are You Game? Sauvignon Blanc. The fruit was harvested during the cool of night to ensure that fruit temperature is low to preserve primary fruit flavors. On the nose, aromas of passion fruit, kiwi fruit and papaya lead to a supple palate with a medley of fresh tropical fruits, including papaya, guava and pineapple. The finish is kept crisp and bright thanks to lively acidity. $17
The 2012 Are You Game Chardonnay is a beautiful wine that features aromas of peach and papaya on the fragrant nose. It is full-bodied, displaying lovely flavors of apple, nectarine and yellow peach on the palate. The mouthfeel has a delightful creaminess as a result of ten months on yeast lees. $17
A dash of zinfandel is added to the 2012 Are You Game Pinot Noir to provide a unique and delicious lift to the wine. This pinot has a deep plum red color and delightful aromas of cherry and cinnamon that meld with savory notes of forest floor and wild mushroom. The palate is bright and lively, with fine tannins and flavors cherry, dark strawberry and cocoa of that coat the entire tongue. $17
Ladies Who Shoot their Lunch is a wine range crafted specifically to match with wild game meat. The free-roaming lifestyle and natural diet of wild game animals’ means their meat is leaner, denser and more intense than their domestic counterparts.
A small component of pinot gris was blended in with the 2013 Ladies Who Shoot Their Lunch Riesling to add another layer of complexity and depth to this wine. On the nose, aromas of lime, lychee and spice blend in with notes of rose petal. The palate is wonderfully round and complex with flinty fresh acidity and wonderful length of flavor, including lime, nectarine and a hint of melon on the refreshing finish. $35
The 2010 provided a classic Strathbogie Ranges vintage with long, warm, sunlit days and cool nights that yielded intensely aromatic fruit for the 2010 Ladies Who Shoot Their Lunch Shiraz. It is powerful bouquet explodes from the glass with aromas black cherry, spices and of white pepper. Upfront flavors of blackberry, black plum and rich red fruits play with black pepper and baking spices on the balanced, silky finish. $35
